Valve



March u w24@ www@ C. A. ROSS y VALVE Filed March 5. 1921A 2 Sheds-Sheet 2 I i l Slm/manto@ @ar/e5 f7 T055,

Patented hier, il, lge,

GERLES A.. ROSS, @il BETBJET, MIGHXGN,

Application died Merch 5, ll'l. Serial No. d-5,70?.

To all whom t may concer/n:

Be it known that l, CHARLES A. Ross, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented cernevv and useful improvements in Valves, of which the following is a specification, reierence being 'had therein to the accompanydra-Wings.

This invention relates to valves that may be advantageously used for controlling liuids and liquids, under pressure, particularly air utilized'as a motive fluid or prime mover, for instance, in a cylinder for moving a pis- 7 ton therein to accomplish'vvork. ASuch valves are ordinarily known as t\vo, three and 'leur-Way valves and include an arrangement oi ports by which one end of a cylinder may exhaust and the opposite end of the cylinder receive a charge of air to move the piston -one direction ,#-this being generally accomplished by a single operation of the valve and a reverse operation either causes a cessation in the movement of the piston, or a reverse movement of the piston. Many such valves require considerable piping; constant attention during an operation, and due to the arrangement ot parts an expensive and intricate valve body and mechanism. rlhen again such valves will leak and require almost continual packing to remain serviceable.

lily invention aims to provide a valve of the above type'l that will be positive and reliable in its action, 'ree from injury by ordinary use, easy to maintain tight against leakage, simple to operate, and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture. The valve possesses many novel features that may be characterized as follows f First, there is a one piece valve body having intake, exhaust and atmospheric ports, channels and chambers that permit of the valve body being cast and lwith little machining placed in condition for valves and connections.

Second, there isco-operation between the packing means for the valves and the valve operating means Which permits the latter to actuate or increase the packing proclivities of the former. rlfhis is brought about by using spring pressed glands or packin members in the stufng boxes through Whlch the reciprocable valve rods or stems extend, and when the valve rods are actuated to open the valves, the springs on the glands are stressed or placed under additional tension, thereby insuring a tighter packing when the valves are open than when closed, the closed valvular condition more or less preventing lealiage about the valve rods or stems. Since the packing means is automatically stressed during the charging or? a cylinder, there is no danger ol a cylinder .being but partially charged due toleakage at the valve rods.

rlhird, the valve operating means pre viously mentioned includes a spring pressed Walking beam by `which a plurality of valve rods may be depressed, and an oscillatory operating lever by which valve rods may be selectively operated. For the purposes of my invention the valve rods have been disposed to be actuated in sets and the relation between the Walkingbeam and its operating lever is such that either set of valves may be positively operated and held in an open position, Without any danger or the valves closing or moving due to air pressure. rlhis is brought about by a defined action oit the operating lever relative to the Walking beam, and more'particularly by the shape oi the Walking beam, it being shaped to automatically and positively hold the operating lever in a set position until intentionally and manually readjusted. 'llhis feature oi my invention, in its broadest aspect, involves two ulcrumed members, one actuated by the other, to assume angular relation with pressure 'against the actuated member holding` the other member in its set position. l

The above and other features of my invention will be more fully explained hereinafter by aid of the drawings prepared from blue prints ot a valve which has been fully ltested and found satisfactory. ln the drawl(liligure v1 is a vertical longitudinal section .of the valve showing its normal position;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line ll--l o Fig. l; G i

Fig. 3 is a plan of the valve, and

Fig. i is a diagrammatio view of the valve associated with a cylinder to assist in understanding one of its uses and operation.

The valve comprises a substantially rectangular body l having what may be considered the base or bottom 2 thereollprovided with lateral apertured lugs 3 so thatthe valve body may be secured to a suitable support, iii necessary, for in some instances the valve Other diagonally opposed corners or end portions of the valve body have lower exhaust chambers 7 and upper exhaust chambers 8, said chambers at each end portion of the valve body being separated by a ported partition 9 affording a valve seat. The upper intake chambers 5 communicate With the lower' exhaust chambers 7 by passages 10, and the upper exhaust chambers 8 communicate with each other by a horizontally disposed passage'11 communicating with a central exhaust port 12 extending through the passage 11 in the upper portion of the valve bodyI to the base of the valve body where it communicates -with the atmosphere.

rl`he lower intake chambers 4 communicate with intake pipes 13 leading to a suitable source of air under pressure, for instance a reservoir or air compressor 14.

The' lower exhaust chambers 7 communicate with cylinder pipes 15 leading to the ends of a cylinder 16 containing a piston 17, said cylinder andpiston representing means of utilizing air, under pressure, to perform .work IThe pipes 13 and 15 may constitute supporting means for they valve body in lieu of the lugs 3.

Extending into the upper intake and exhaust chambers 5 and 8 respectively, are valve rod guides 18 having the upper ends thereof recessed or provided with stutiing boxes 19 containing a compressible packing 2O and 'packing glands or members 21.v Extending through the valve guides, stuffing boxes and glands, are intake valve rodsv 22 and 23, and exhaust' valve rods 24 and 25, all of said valve rods having the lower ends thereof .provided with valves 26 adapted to seat on the partitions 6 and 9 and close the lower intake and exhaust `chambers relative to the upper intake and exhaust chambers. rli`hese valves 'open into thechambers 4 and 7 when the valve rods are depressed.

Suitably mounted on the outer ends o the valve rods 22 to 25 inclusive are spring retaining members or washers 27 and encircling the outer ends of said valve rods, between the retaining members 27 and the glands 21 are coiled expansion springs 28 constituting expansion means for maintain# ing the valves 26 closed or approximately so. These springs also serve to compress the packing 20 within the stuffing boxes 19, especially when the valves are fully open, and this is a' feature. of my invention to which ll attach considerable importance as leakage about the valve rods is nil or reduced to a minimum.

On the top of the valve body 1 is a set of bearings 29 connected by pins 30 and 31. 0n the pin 30 is fulcrumed a walking beam 32 substantially H-shaped in plan, said walking vbeam having arms 33 extending over the position of -one of these exhaust valves in Fig. 1 has been exaggerated, but it will be understood that the opening is sim ly sufficient lto afford what may be considbred a bleeding port, so that no air Wilibe retained in either end of the cylinder 16 when the valve is'inneutral position. This will permit of a positive or fullstroke action of the piston 17 in the cylinder 16.

Fulcrumed on the pin 31 of the bearings 29 is a rocker member 36 forming part of' an operating lever 37, and the ends of the rocker member 36 engage the abutments 34 at the ends of the walking beam 32, The horizontal position ofthe walking beam 32 retains the rocker member 36 and its operating lever 37 normally horizontal.

From the foregoing it will be observed that there is a set of valves at each end of the valve body 1 and that by raising or lowering the operating lever 37 either set of valves may be operated. Assuming that the operating lever 37 is raised the walking beam 32 -is rocked to depress the intake valve rod 22 and the exhaust valve rod 25. Tilting of the walking beam 32 releases the exhaust valve rod 24 so that the partially open valve thereof may close. This takes place automatically and prevents air under pressure escaping to the atmosphere, as will presently appear. When the intake valve rod 22 is depressed air under vpressure from the reservoir -14 passes through the intake pipe 13 into the lower intakechamber` 4, through Ithe partition 6 into the upper intake chamber 5, through the passage 10 into the lower exhaust chamber 7, and then through the cylinder pipe 15 to one end of the cylinder 16, where the air under pressure shifts the piston 17 to perform' work. The opposite end of the cylinder exhausts through the pipe 15 to the other lower exhaust chamber 7 which fully communicates with the upper exhaust chamber 8 and the atmospheric port 12 by reason ofthe exhaust valve rod 25 having been simultanereceso@ lthe rocker member 36 in engagement with the holding vface .35 of the walking beam abutment 3a and with this holding tace disposed at a right an le to the end of the rocker member, the a utment will cooperate withthe pin 3l lin positively holding thev Walking beam in its tilted position, so that 7 airv ressure against the -valves 26 cannot acci entally shift said valve.

ln other Words, there is no defined midway position for the operating lever 37 after it has once started on its movement, andthe operating lever may be set to positively hold the valve so as to maintain a pressure of air in the cylinder 16.

l attach considerable importance to the fact that the valve Vfinds its own neutral position upon being released, and no jarring or vibration can open it. ln a neutral position, both ends of the cylinder are open to exhaust which ermts no creeping 'of the piston', and" this is very desirable in a pneumatic device.

lt is .thought that the operation of the other valves, by lowering lthe operating valveused as a work controlling lever .37, will be understood Without rehearsing how the piston '17 may be shifted in an opposite direction than that described above, and while in the drawings there is illustrated va preferred embodiment of' the valve, it is to be understood that the construction is susceptible to such changes, in size, sha e and manner of assembly as fall Within t e scope of thappended claims.

1.` The combination of valves, a member adapted to operate said valves,` and an operating member adapted to actuate the first mentioned member, said members being arranged so Ythat said members are auto-' maticall and positively held relative to each ot er by contact when in adjusted positions.` l

2. The combination set forth' in claim l wherein the members are fulced adjacent each ether/andthe actuat member ci such constructionasto co-operate with the fulcrum o the o rating member in Ypositively holding sai operating member 1n aset ition.

3. e combination of valves, a w beam to rocked to operate some of said yvalves synchronism, and an operatlever adapt@ to be' rocked to'conthe walking beam the springs 2 8 da with einer end or stia and rock said beam to operate the vaves.

4i. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein said walking beam is spring pressed and bears a relation to said owratlng'leverwhich causes said lever to be automatically held in a set position.

5. The combination ci oppas@ sets of valves, a wa beam common to said sets v of valves and adapted to M rocked to operate either set of valves, and means adapted for rocking said walking beam by ycontact 4with said walking beam and automatically hold it in a set position. a

6. rlhe combination set 'forth in claim 5 characterized by said means en aging'the ends of the Walking beam an such an angular relation thereto that sai walking beam and its rocking means are simultaneously held in set positions. 7. The *combination set forth inA claim l5 characterized by said walking beam having end abutments, and said means constantly engaging said end abutments and maintaining one set-of valves partially olpen 8. 'lhe combination with a va ve body, ot a normally closed intake valve in said body, a normally and partially open exhaust valve in said body adapted to be fully closed when said intake valve is opened, and means' prising a closed intake valve and a partially open exhaust valve, means maintaining the valves oi each set in such closed and partially open relation, and means onl said means adapted to simultaneously operate a valve of each set.

' 11. The combination set forth in claim l0 wherein the first mentioned means includes a Walking beam supported'betweenthe sets of .valves and springs and valve seats cooperating with saildwalkin'g beam.

12. The combination with a val e body,

of four valves therein, two of w ich are vnormally closed and the remavalves partially open, means for operating4 said valves, said means being constructively arranged so that one of Seidel` one of said partially open valves may be 'completely opened and th 'other ot said partially open valves fcl i valves and iasl .1ay 'rhs combination ser-@ah imam ^ia wherein said means ment so that three ,such vaves as outlined inv claim 12 may be' sel 1.. ,for operation.

has va rocng move- I mensola' M The lcombination 'of a valve bod and means engaging said Walking beam for 1Q Valves Hin. said body, andhaying valve 1roV s effecting movement of either valve. `l extending out of said body, springs about l in testimony whereofI a my signature saig vave rogs, a' Walxing beam engagingv in presence of two witnesses, f sal va ve ro s, one o said. s rin s maintaining one of said valves noipmallg closed A- CHARLES A ROSS and the other valve partially open, t e other Witnesses: spring adapted to close said partially open KARL H. BUTLER, valve when the other closed valve is openel, ANNA Denm- 

